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  • Economy & Markets, Fraud, Risk
Geopolitics, Cybersecurity Top Concerns for CROs at RMA Roundtable in NY
Geopolitics, Cybersecurity Top Concerns for CROs at RMA Roundtable in NY
Isolationism and trade aggression present substantial risks for markets and commerce should the U.S. pursue these in a retrenchment from…
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  • Fraud, Risk
Quantifying and Managing Reputation Risk: Safeguarding Your Bank’s Brand
Quantifying and Managing Reputation Risk: Safeguarding Your Bank’s Brand
Your institution’s reputation can significantly influence customer trust, employee loyalty, and investor confidence and is a reliable contributor to organizational…
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  • Growth & Innovation, Risk
How To Craft Loan Covenants That Balance Risk and Flexibility
How To Craft Loan Covenants That Balance Risk and Flexibility
Loan covenants are crucial tools in managing credit risk. They set expectations between a borrower and a bank, helping identify…
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  • Risk
When Brewery Loans Go Flat
When Brewery Loans Go Flat
The craft beer industry, once a hallmark of entrepreneurial success, is now grappling with an era of closures and consolidation….
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  • Risk
Ask the Workout Window: The Microbrewery Glut ‘Ales’ a Lender
Ask the Workout Window: The Microbrewery Glut ‘Ales’ a Lender
In his latest Ask the Workout Window column for the RMA Journal, veteran workout leader Jason Alpert tackles the question…
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  • Compliance & Regulation, Growth & Innovation, Risk, Talent & Workforce
A Loan Covenants Primer for Lenders
A Loan Covenants Primer for Lenders
Covenants are loan agreements between a borrower and a bank that communicate the bank’s expectations during their borrowing relationship. Borrowers,…
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  • Fraud, Risk, Talent & Workforce
Protecting Banks from AI-Powered Deepfakes
Protecting Banks from AI-Powered Deepfakes
Deepfake technology is no longer a futuristic threat—financial institutions are already grappling with its implications, especially as advances in AI…
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  • Compliance & Regulation, Economy & Markets, Fraud, Risk
2024 Rewind: Your Top Bank Risk Reads of the Year
2024 Rewind: Your Top Bank Risk Reads of the Year
As we close out 2024, we’re taking a moment to look back at the articles that captured your attention month…
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  • Compliance & Regulation, Risk, Talent & Workforce
How Banks Are Refining RCSA Programs
How Banks Are Refining RCSA Programs
Risk and control self-assessments (RCSAs) are a cornerstone of operational risk management, helping banks identify gaps, manage controls, and respond…
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  • Compliance & Regulation, Fraud, Risk, Talent & Workforce
The Potential of RCSAs: Key Findings From RMA’s Industry Survey
The Potential of RCSAs: Key Findings From RMA’s Industry Survey
In strengthening the ability of organizations to identify process gaps and weaknesses, risk and control self-assessments (RCSAs) have become critical…
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  • Compliance & Regulation, Fraud, Risk
Banking on Regulatory Change in 2025
Banking on Regulatory Change in 2025
2025 is shaping up to be a pivotal year for regulatory transformation in banking. According to “Ten Key Regulatory Challenges…
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  • Compliance & Regulation, Fraud, Growth & Innovation, Risk
Q&A: An Inside Look at RMA’s 2024 Annual Conference
Q&A: An Inside Look at RMA’s 2024 Annual Conference
RMA’s 2024 Annual Risk Management Virtual Conference is now live. To get an overview of the event, which features expert…
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  • Compliance & Regulation, Risk
Ask the Workout Window: Bankruptcy Complexities Galore
Ask the Workout Window: Bankruptcy Complexities Galore
In each issue of The RMA Journal, veteran workout leader Jason Alpert gives advice on thorny workout challenges. Have a…
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  • Risk
Kicking the Tires: Risks and Opportunities in Lending to Used Car Dealers
Kicking the Tires: Risks and Opportunities in Lending to Used Car Dealers
Not long ago, the pandemic and supply chain shortages caused major disruptions in the new and used vehicle markets. When…
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  • Risk, Talent & Workforce
Is Your Bank’s Risk Appetite Framework Working?
Is Your Bank’s Risk Appetite Framework Working?
Assessing the effectiveness of your risk appetite framework is critical to ensuring that it aligns with your institution’s strategic objectives…
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  • Compliance & Regulation, Economy & Markets, Fraud, Growth & Innovation, Risk, Talent & Workforce
January 2025 RMA Risk Watch: Notes and Resources on Today’s Top and Emerging Risks
January 2025 RMA Risk Watch: Notes and Resources on Today’s Top and Emerging Risks
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  • Compliance & Regulation, Fraud, Risk
CROs Report Faster-Moving Risks, Tougher Oversight 
CROs Report Faster-Moving Risks, Tougher Oversight 
As the banking industry emerges from the shadow of the 2023 regional banking crisis, financial institutions are facing a new…
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  • Fraud, Risk
Cybersecurity Tips for Small and Mid-Sized Banks
Cybersecurity Tips for Small and Mid-Sized Banks
Small and mid-sized banks face all the cybersecurity risks of their large-bank counterparts without the same level of resources to…
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  • Fraud, Risk, Talent & Workforce
Steps Smaller Banks Can Take To Better Manage Cybersecurity Risks
Steps Smaller Banks Can Take To Better Manage Cybersecurity Risks
Defending against cybersecurity threats has become increasingly challenging for small and mid-sized banks as their technology estate grows alongside already…
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  • Risk
Risk Appetite Workbook
Risk Appetite Workbook
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  • Compliance & Regulation, Economy & Markets, Fraud, Growth & Innovation, Risk
Rising to the Risks of a Changed Industry: Seven Themes From the 2025 RMA CRO Outlook Survey
Rising to the Risks of a Changed Industry: Seven Themes From the 2025 RMA CRO Outlook Survey
This report is based on the 2025 RMA CRO Outlook Survey, which was conducted in the summer of 2024 and…
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  • Fraud, Risk
Critical Vendors, Critical Risks: Lessons From CrowdStrike
Critical Vendors, Critical Risks: Lessons From CrowdStrike
Last summer’s botched software update from cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike froze millions of Microsoft Windows machines globally and disrupted essential services…
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  • Fraud, Risk
Look Before You Leap: Establishing a Governance Framework for AI at Your Bank
Look Before You Leap: Establishing a Governance Framework for AI at Your Bank
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  • Growth & Innovation, Risk
Ask the Workout Window: From Multifamily to Multiproblems—Handling a Troubled Loan
Ask the Workout Window: From Multifamily to Multiproblems—Handling a Troubled Loan
In each issue of The RMA Journal, veteran workout leader Jason Alpert gives advice on thorny workout challenges….
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  • Growth & Innovation, Risk, Talent & Workforce
Q&A: Protecting Your Bank From Troubled Loans
Q&A: Protecting Your Bank From Troubled Loans
With economic uncertainty persisting, banks are paying closer attention to early indicators of financial stress in their loan portfolios. Detecting…
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  • Risk
Aligning AI Governance With Bank Goals
Aligning AI Governance With Bank Goals
As banks explore the potential of generative AI, establishing a robust governance framework is essential to balance innovation with risk…
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  • Fraud, Risk
AI at Your Bank: How To Innovate Responsibly
AI at Your Bank: How To Innovate Responsibly
As banks continue to explore generative AI’s potential to drive efficiency and innovation across risk management and beyond, they are…
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  • Risk
How Banks Can Address a Risky Insurance Market
How Banks Can Address a Risky Insurance Market
With premiums rising and insurance becoming harder to secure, today’s volatile insurance market poses serious risks to banks and borrowers…
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  • Fraud, Risk
Perspectives – The CrowdStrike Wake-Up Call: A Reminder About the Risks of Critical Third Parties
Perspectives – The CrowdStrike Wake-Up Call: A Reminder About the Risks of Critical Third Parties
On July 19, 2024, I woke up to my phone buzzing with multiple notifications about an IT disruption that crippled…
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  • Compliance & Regulation, Economy & Markets, Risk
The State of Banking Regulation as the Next Supreme Court Term Begins
The State of Banking Regulation as the Next Supreme Court Term Begins
In June of this year, the Supreme Court overruled the “Chevron doctrine” in a case called Loper Bright Enterprises v….
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  • Fraud, Risk
In RMA’s Model Risk Management Survey, A Picture of Banks’ Diligence and Frustrations
In RMA’s Model Risk Management Survey, A Picture of Banks’ Diligence and Frustrations
RMA’s third annual Model Risk Management (MRM) Survey explores the issues facing banks as they attempt to measure and manage…
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Perspectives: New Contamination Rate Data Could Help Banks Better Assess Environmental Risk
Perspectives: New Contamination Rate Data Could Help Banks Better Assess Environmental Risk
A “wall” of maturing commercial real estate (CRE) loans is approaching amid tumultuous conditions for office properties and other property…
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  • Risk
Bank Earnings Fuel Optimism, Caution
Bank Earnings Fuel Optimism, Caution
As large U.S. banks report their third-quarter earnings for 2024, financial markets have responded with optimism, pushing the S&P 500…
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  • Fraud, Risk
Combatting Check Fraud Requires a Team Effort
Combatting Check Fraud Requires a Team Effort
Despite the shift toward digital payments, check fraud remains a major threat to banks, costing $27 billion globally in 2023,…
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  • Fraud, Risk
Unlocking the Power of Metrics
Unlocking the Power of Metrics
As financial institutions grapple with increasing complexity, especially around technology and risk, the use of metrics has become indispensable for…
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  • Fraud, Risk
Using Metrics To Manage Technology Complexity
Using Metrics To Manage Technology Complexity
As technology and risk become increasingly complex for financial institutions, metrics have emerged as essential tools for effective decision-making. For…
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  • Compliance & Regulation, Fraud, Risk
Why Check Fraud Is Spreading and So Hard for Banks to Prevent
Why Check Fraud Is Spreading and So Hard for Banks to Prevent
Low-tech check fraud remains a high-cost problem for banks even as new technology and investments promise solutions for fighting this…
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  • Compliance & Regulation, Risk
Q&A: How Banks Can Stay Ahead of CRA Rule Changes
Q&A: How Banks Can Stay Ahead of CRA Rule Changes
The recent overhaul of the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) presents banks with new compliance challenges, particularly in how they manage…
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  • Compliance & Regulation, Growth & Innovation, Risk
How Banks Can Help Communities Rebuild
How Banks Can Help Communities Rebuild
Hurricane Helene left a path of destruction across the Southeastern U.S., causing more than 150 deaths, with several hundred more…
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  • Compliance & Regulation, Risk
Additional Considerations for Structuring Owner-Occupied CRE Loans, Including SBA Credits (Part II of II)
Additional Considerations for Structuring Owner-Occupied CRE Loans, Including SBA Credits (Part II of II)
For C&I lenders, familiarity with SBA 504 and 7(a) CRE loans is crucial in recognizing additional ways to meet borrower…
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  • Compliance & Regulation, Fraud, Risk
Q&A: How Banks Can Navigate 2025’s Regulatory Uncertainty
Q&A: How Banks Can Navigate 2025’s Regulatory Uncertainty
The regulatory environment for banks is expected to undergo significant shifts in 2025, influenced by a combination of expanded legal…
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  • Risk, Talent & Workforce
A Culture Blueprint for Banks
A Culture Blueprint for Banks
When it comes to managing risk, banks know that sometimes the most significant threats can come from within. Employee misconduct,…
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  • Compliance & Regulation, Risk
Q&A: How Banks Are Adapting to Heightened Insurance Tracking Demands
Q&A: How Banks Are Adapting to Heightened Insurance Tracking Demands
As insurance becomes more expensive and harder to secure, the importance of robust insurance tracking has never been greater. Banks…
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  • Compliance & Regulation, Risk
Basel III and Its Potential Effect on Operational Risk Management
Basel III and Its Potential Effect on Operational Risk Management
The sweeping changes described in the Basel III Endgame proposal raised many questions within banking circles when they first were…
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  • Risk
With Hurricane Season at Its Peak, How Prepared Is Your Bank?
With Hurricane Season at Its Peak, How Prepared Is Your Bank?
There’s been a lot going on recently, so you are forgiven if you missed the peak of the 2024 Atlantic…
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  • Compliance & Regulation, Risk
Three Ways Banks Can Address the Risks of Unaffordable and Unavailable Insurance
Three Ways Banks Can Address the Risks of Unaffordable and Unavailable Insurance
Whether it’s shockingly higher premiums or difficulty finding coverage at all, businesses and homeowners everywhere are affected by today’s unforgiving…
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  • Compliance & Regulation, Fraud, Risk
The European Union AI Act—Time To Start Preparing
The European Union AI Act—Time To Start Preparing
Artificial intelligence and, more recently, generative AI will have a transformative impact on economic growth and productivity. That is true,…
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  • Compliance & Regulation, Economy & Markets, Risk
Geopolitical Storm Warning: Five Risks Banks Should Watch
Geopolitical Storm Warning: Five Risks Banks Should Watch
From the largest multinational institutions to the smallest community banks, no financial institution is immune to the growing threat of…
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  • Compliance & Regulation, Risk
The EU’s Artificial Intelligence Act Has Gone Live: How Will it Affect U.S. Banks?
The EU’s Artificial Intelligence Act Has Gone Live: How Will it Affect U.S. Banks?
The European Union’s new Artificial Intelligence Act went into force on August 1. Two years from that date, organizations will…
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  • Compliance & Regulation, Risk
Q&A: Challenges and Strategies in Nonprofit Lending 
Q&A: Challenges and Strategies in Nonprofit Lending 
Navigating the complexities of lending to nonprofit organizations requires a nuanced understanding of the unique credit risks these entities present….